Truck Accidents 360 Newswire

WINONA COUNTY, MN – A truck driver was injured when his trailer truck crashed and burst into flames Monday, March 29, on a highway in Winona County, Minnesota. The truck accident happened on Interstate 90 in Warren Township near Wyattville, MN. The accident area is in the far southeast section of the state near the Wisconsin border, 130 miles southeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul and 310 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois.

Shortly after 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, March 29, 58 year old Glen L. Boyer of Le Mars, Iowa was driving a semi trailer truck loaded with bricks of cheese east on Interstate 90.

As Mr. Boyer drove on the interstate in the area near Wyattville he apparently lost control of his 18 wheeler truck. The cheese truck crossed the interstate’s center median and across both westbound lanes of traffic before crashing into the Winona County Road 25 Bridge. The trailer truck then slid down an embankment, exploded and erupted into flames. People in the area reported hearing the explosions and seeing black plumes of smoke rising from the burning trailer truck.

There was one vehicle traveling west on I-90 when the tractor truck crossed the four lanes of traffic and hit the bridge. The unidentified female driver reportedly came within a few feet of being hit by the semi.

The truck driver was able to get out of the cab of the truck before the fire engulfed the rig. Local emergency personnel treated him at the scene and then Mr. Boyer was medically airlifted to Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin, about 36 miles away. His injuries are reportedly minor and not life threatening.

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The 18 wheeler was completely destroyed by the fire after the truck accident and most of the cargo was lost, with a few blocks of cheese strewn around the accident site.

Minnesota State Patrol shut down both lanes of westbound I-90 while highway crews worked to clear out the burnt wreckage of the truck accident. Officers opened up one westbound lane for traffic shortly before 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. All lanes were reopened by 10:00 a.m.

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Minnesota Department of Transportation officials were also at the scene of the truck accident. They inspected the bridge that the driver crashed into to check if it was safe for traffic. The MDOT officials determined that the semi truck hit the corner of the Winona County Road 25 Bridge and did not cause serious damage to the structure. State highway crews will have to repair some of the rails of the bridge, and that work will be done in the next few weeks. An MDOT official declared the bridge was safe to travel over for now.

Authorities reconstructing the truck accident believe that the driver, Mr. Boyer, was either fatigued or had fallen asleep when he lost control and crashed the 18 wheeler
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No charges have been made at this time and the truck accident remains under investigation.

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